Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The residents of Twin Dragons’ Rest spent half an hour with their former leader before leaving him alone. This was when Hu Feng finally saw a chance to introduce Ji Ye.
“Chief, this here is—”
Lu Zhishen interrupted the old man by lifting a large hand, before bowing his head to Ji Ye.
“There’s no need. Lu Da at your service, master.”
Ji Ye smiled back. “I’m really glad to finally see you, Chief Lu.”
Ji Ye was having a hard time keeping his expression plain despite his inner excitement. As the appointed clan leader and the “Chosen One”, he couldn’t appear to be too careless in front of everyone.
Hu Feng sighed in relief, after seeing Lu Zhishen accepting the outcome.
“Master, and chief, I’ll tell our men to prepare a welcome feast.”
The old man led the others away, to allow the important leaders to speak in private.
Lu Zhishen watched his people leave with a longing look.
“Hear me, master, never once did I think that I’d be back here and be reunited with my brothers.”
He sighed and explained in an apologetic tune as if he had done something wrong, “I… will be frank. These good men and women can only set their eyes in the present. That is, I came to this mountain clan and became their leader. But somehow, I know much more than that. I saw my future days, during which I will join the Liang Shan Marsh, attack Zengtou City with my new brothers, submit to the government and fight against other generals in a war. By that point, most of the brothers who followed me from Twin Dragons’ Rest to the battlefield will die a bitter death. That… would be a great sin. I should never take them to the Liang Shan Marsh.”
Wait, what? Ji Ye widened his eyes in shock. Lu Zhishen foresaw his future?
He was just planning to wait for a chance to take a good look at Water Margins, so he could display his “absolute wisdom” by predicting all sorts of incoming events in front of this great hero. Thank goodness he didn’t do that too soon and embarrass himself.
This also explained why Lu Zhishen was acting so humbly, unlike the wild, ill-mannered unruly monk described by TV dramas who loved nothing other than meat, wine, and perhaps solving problems through violence. This man already knew his fate; he was going to become a tool of the government and send many of his dear comrades to death. There was no way he could keep that carefree character, knowing the saddening end of his friends.
Ji Ye quickly thought of a plan and looked at the bulky man in the eye. “Chief Lu, we’re no longer under the corrupted dominance of the Song government. Rest assured that Twin Dragons’ Rest will not become anyone’s cannon fodder.”
Lu Zhishen stared back at Ji Ye with a pair of big round eyes that belonged to a fearless fighter.
“… I trust you, master. Those words put me at ease. Twin Dragons’ Rest will be my home, and I’ll be a terrifying foe to those who dare to challenge us!”
“I’ll be sure to help. Do you know any people or beasts out there who see us as enemies at this moment, Chief Lu?”
Delighted, Ji Ye began asking Lu Zhishen for valuable information regarding the Land of Inheritance.
The conversation was quite fruitful because this hero indeed knew a lot about this place, compared to players who had been hastily summoned.
For example, Lu Zhishen was aware that only “Chosen Ones” were eligible to perform sacrificial rituals and communicate with the “Gods.” This was why the settlement had to ask a player to become their master.
Also, there were other settlements scattered around Twin Dragon Mount. They were not friendly.
For some reason, Lu Zhishen either didn’t question Ji Ye’s origin, or he already knew and accepted it, so Ji Ye didn’t have to waste time explaining how he was an “alien” in this realm.
As for the favor, he decided to ask Lu Zhishen to teach him a superior-rank skill he could use.
Lu Zhishen asked Ji Ye to remove his upper clothes. He then ran his hands along Ji Ye’s body for a while, before asking a question in surprise, “Your body is… sturdy, and perfectly tuned. Your blood flow is smooth and holds the beaming vigor of life. If I may, can I ask whether you have already studied a body-enhancing art, master? Or did you consume some kind of divine elixir with such an effect?”
“Yes.” Ji Ye nodded.
That “Bulldozing Force” injector seemed to be a product of science, though it wasn’t wrong to regard it as a type of medicine. But there was a problem. He had already improved his Bulldozing Force skill to the “Flawless” level, which meant that he currently had the strength of a bull monster. Theoretically. Still, according to what he had figured out from his previous fights, his punches were only a little stronger than that of common adults. That was far from what he expected from the Bronze Bull he had killed, which could easily ram through a solid boulder.
Since Lu Zhishen was a warrior quite adept at raw physical strength, Ji Ye thought about asking him for some pointers. In Water Margins, Lu Zhishen could uproot a grown willow tree using his bare hands. That sounded not much different from a bull’s power.
“That is because you have yet to learn how to unleash your inner strength properly, master. According to what you say, that bull monster had to be born with such capabilities so it could fully wield its potential,” said Lu Zhishen, after listening to Ji Ye’s query. “I do know an art suitable for you. It’s called the Primordial Chaos Art. I learned it when I was still a dedicated monk at Mount Wutai. With this art, you will be able to channel your inner power and concentrate it in a single spot for easier control.”
As Lu Zhishen spoke, Ji Ye received an alert in his mind.
[Lu Da is now transferring a martial art to you. Do you wish to spend Honor points and convert it to a usable skill?]
“Yes.” Ji Ye accepted without a second thought.
It was possible for players to directly make use of what they had mastered in reality, without having it as a “skill”; Ji Ye’s crossbow technique was such a case, although learning something as a skill and using EXP points to level it up would mean to rapidly becoming proficient without spending much time.
Furthermore, it was also because the ‘Primordial Chaos Art’ was a martial arts technique that focused on internal energy, it involved a bunch of acupuncture points, meridians, and other professional terms. Even though Ji Ye was a wide-read genius, it was quite difficult to quickly understand and memorize.
At this point, Ji Ye had something to thank. Although the humans in the Land of Inheritance had ancient lines of thoughts, they could understand and use modern terms when speaking.Otherwise, making themselves understood would be quite a big problem to tackle, let alone cooperating.
[You lost Honor points…]
Finishing the settlement protection quest granted Ji Ye 150 Honor points, 10 of which were deducted as the cost for studying the new art.
[Primordial Chaos Art]
[Level: Extraordinary]
[Rarity: Superior]
[You have successfully learned how to command your internal energy, which will in turn reinforce your various actions.]
Most importantly, it was an inner energy skill that he had been looking forward to!
